Ranking The 6 Biggest Rivals Of Tottenham Hotspur
The North London-based club are the third most decorated club in London. They have a great history of the club which was founded in 1882, 130 years ago. Tottenham have won top-tier English titles, in 1951 and 1961. Spurs have won 24 major honours and are the first London club to win a European trophy, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1963.
Over the years, they have shared some great rivalries with different clubs in English football. In this article, let us have a look at the biggest rivals of Tottenham Hotspur.
Here are the six biggest rivals of Tottenham Hotspur.
6. Tottenham vs Liverpool
Traditionally, a significant rivalry was based on geographical proximity or, less often, historical – and often delightfully petty – beef. It made sense. However, this rivalry has nothing to do with any of that. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when the nascent rivalry began. But we do know when it peaked, during the final of UCL in 2019.
The rivalry went from low-key Tottenham vs Liverpool rumbles to an outright Kane vs Salah war in a Golden Boot battle. Also, the fact that both the teams go head to head for a top-four finish, makes the battle all the more interesting.
5. Tottenham vs Man City
Before the turn of the century, the meetings of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were defined not so much by rivalry but by a couple of other themes. But since the two battled for fourth place and a Champions League spot in 2009/10, there has been an undoubted escalation of ‘hostilities’.
When the two sides met in May 2010, with Champions League football for the following season on the line, the game was suitably tense. Spurs of course came out on top, Peter Crouch heading in the late winner. Thus, this started a low-scale rivalry which has increased over the years, especially with Manchester City dominating English football.
4. Tottenham vs Man Utd
There have been many sliding-doors moments in the complicated history between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Like in 1984, former Spurs chairman Irving Scholar thought he had agreed a “concrete” deal for Sir Alex Ferguson to come to White Hart Lane, only for the Scot to go back on it.
In 1998, Tottenham thought they had agreed on a deal for United’s then-substitute striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, only for the striker to refuse and insist he would prove his worth at Old Trafford.
On the field, Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur is a fixture that has produced some nerve-wracking and enthralling contests over the years. United’s incredible comeback in 2001 when they came back from 3-0 down at halftime to win the game 5-3 is the most memorable. However, 6-1 thumping of Manchester United by Spurs in 2020, is something that both the clubs will never forget either.
3. Tottenham vs West Ham
While many Irons and Spurs supporters would consider Millwall and Arsenal respectively to be their arch-enemies. However, this derby has also proven to be pretty fierce for a number of decades.
The Tottenham supporters’ condescension feeds the Hammers fans’ disdain and the bubbling animosity exists not so much for football or geographic reasons, but for how each side views the other. Spurs belittle the Irons, West Ham fights to prove their relevance. But the rivalry has nevertheless proven to be a reliable source of entertaining plot points and intriguing narratives.
2. Tottenham vs Chelsea
The rivalry between the clubs dates back to the 1967 FA Cup final. It was the competition’s first final to be contested between two teams from London. Tottenham won it 2–1. For Chelsea fans, it was a major blow to see two of their former players, Jimmy Greaves and Terry Venables, win the FA Cup with Tottenham
Since then, matches between them would often attract large attendances. It would sometimes end up in violent clashes between supporters. After an FA Cup tie in 2007, a number of fans were stabbed and hit with weapons in the street outside Stamford Bridge. This was a disturbing view into how deep the hatred runs between the two London clubs.
This boiled once again in the 2015-16 season when Chelsea put an end to the Spurs’ title challenge. All this makes Chelsea one of the biggest rivals of Tottenham Hotspur.
1. Tottenham vs Arsenal
The rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur has all that anyone could want: uncomfortably close home grounds, season-defining clashes and a long list of traitors and heroes to play with the emotions of both sets of fans. It is generally the biggest game of the season for both clubs and their fans.
As a spectacle, the North London derby is as good an advert as you could get for English football, with high-intensity football on the pitch and an infectiously loud atmosphere in the stands every time the two sides meet.
The rivalry began in 1913 when Arsenal moved their ground to north London. Fans of both clubs like to claim that they are the true “pride of north London”, but it is only after each derby that this claim can be vindicated.